Photo by Billie Weiss/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Frankie Edgar is hoping he’s built up enough equity in the UFC Bank of Good Will to cash in that Conor McGregor showdown he’s been chirping about in recent years, perhaps forgetting he already used up that interest to score a Max Holloway title fight back in July.
That doesn’t mean the former lightweight champion would be a terrible choice for the power-punching Irishman’s Octagon return, but with a Nate Diaz trilogy on the table, as well as the loser of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier on the horizon, Edgar, 37, doesn’t seem like the right “Answer.”
“I know I’m supposed to go down to bantamweight,” Edgar told TMZ Sports. “Obviously, I would delay that for the McGregor fight. We can do it at welterweight. He’s going to be bigger than me no matter where we fight at, so I’m game. I’ve kind of been trying to watch my weight a little bit now that bantamweight’s coming, but I wouldn’t mind pouring some pounds on now.”
Edgar (23-7-1) has eliminated himself from the title picture at both lightweight and featherweight, failing to overcome a consistent size and reach disadvantage that has plagued him throughout the years. While a drop down to 135 pounds would likely put the New Jersey native in more comfortable territory, a “Notorious” payday is just too hard to pass up.
“It’s no secret Conor is the biggest star in the sport, at least one of them, and with that comes a lot of attention,” Edgar said. “He’s going to be remembered for sure 20 years from now, and I want to have that on my record. I’m game – any weight, any time. We can do it really anywhere. That’s a fight you get remembered for.”
As of this writing, we don’t even know for sure if the pub-punching McGregor will come back to combat sports. He certainly sounds sincere in videos like this one, but he’s just as convincing in his annual “I’m retiring” tweets when negotiations don’t go his way.
I guess we’ll know more after this weekend in Abu Dhabi.